Outstanding Five-Gallon Stoneware Jar with Large-Sized Incised Decoration of an Owl and Two Birds with a Banner, attributed to Brayton & Kellogg, Utica, NY, circa 1827-1833, rotund jar with applied lug handles and semi-squared rim, decorated with a large incised design of an owl with heavily-feathered body and impressed eyes, perched on a leafy branch. Additional foliate design to the bird's left. Reverse decorated with a large incised design of two crested birds perched on a branch holding a banner in their beaks. Elaborate cobalt decoration throughout. Handles decorated with cobalt stripes, the terminals additionally accented with cobalt and incised lines resembling leaves or flower buds. This significant jar reveals the hand of a skilled incised-work decorator. The form, size, and bird-with-banner motif, relate to an example in the Weitsman Stoneware Collection at the New York State Museum bearing the mark "BRAYTON & KELLOGG" of Utica, NY. A monumental cooler with profuse incised bird decoration, bearing the mark "J. HUMISTON" of South Amboy, NJ, may also share the same decorator. Outstanding in form, size, and decoration, this jar features two masterfully-executed avian designs, and is a striking example of ceramic folk art when viewed from the front or reverse. The bird-with-banner design measures approximately 10" high x 7 3/4" wide, while the owl-in-branch decoration stands over 10" tall. Jar was broken into three pieces and reglued, including a 1" wedge missing along crack near base, with a tiny hole visible through interior. A small base chip and tiny rim nick. H 14 1/2".
